The Pierrot |  Hunterian Art Gallery (46642) | |
| Number: | 450 | |
| Date: | 1889 | |
| Medium: | etching and drypoint | |
| Size: | 231 x 162 mm | |
| Signed: | butterfly at upper left (6-final) | |
| Inscribed: | no | |
| Set/Publication: | no | |
| No. of States: | 8 | |
| Known impressions: | 33 | |
| Catalogues: | K.407; M.406; W.264 | |
| Impressions taken from this plate (33) | ||
STATE
Eight states are known before cancellation.
State 1
There is no signature or inscription.
The composition is mostly complete.
State 2
The small white patch to the left of the boy's face is covered with shading; right-to-left diagonal lines (///) are added to the dark shading to left of the boy's legs; vertical lines are added to the patch of horizontals on the water, to left of the reflection of the boy's legs.
State 3
Shading is added to the beams between the second and fourth posts, to the windows below the beams, to the dark shadows of the interior and to the space between the bending figure and the boy's legs.
State 4
Diagonal shading is added to the left of boy's legs, filling in formerly unshaded or lightly shaded areas; light foul biting covers the boy's apron and trousers as well as the lower part of the post to his right.
State 5
Touches of shading are added on the right window below the beams; more shading is added on the water in the foreground, further developing the reflections.
There is an impression of this state with wash drawing around the figure (
), reproduced below.
), reproduced below.
State 6
Signed with a butterfly at upper left.
Shading is added throughout the image, most notably on the walls on either side of the open doorway, on the shadows within the doorway and around the boy (which are now very dark), on the boy's apron and on the water in the foreground (which is now heavily shaded); the bucket and bending figure to the left of the boy are now clearly delineated, and the figure's hat has a pompon on the top.
State 7
Small patches of light shading are added below the two windows to the left of the boy.
State 8
Shading is added to the beams, most notably left to right diagonals (\\\) across the lower beam above the right window; very fine right to left diagonal shading (///) is added to the boy's apron; the upper wall to right of the boy is heavily shaded; a series of fine left to right diagonals is added on the water at the lower right corner.
State 8 (cancelled)
Cancelled with a diagonal line.
No impression from the cancelled plate is known. This is a digital image based on the copper plate. 13
No impression from the cancelled plate is known. This is a digital image based on the copper plate. 13
13: A scan of the copper plate was flipped horizontally, converted to greyscale, and colour inverted, with enhanced contrast.